Lucas Kunce Raises Most Ever As Missouri Senate Challenger, Outraises Josh Hawley Both For Q4 And For All Of 2023

February 5, 2024

Independence, MO — In 2023, Lucas Kunce outraised J osh Hawley, a huge feat in Missouri this election cycle. It concludes a record-breaking year for Lucas.

Lucas continues to not only put this race on the map but to demonstrate a clear path to victory against Josh Hawley, the most unpopular Republican Senator up for reelection this cycle.

In the fourth quarter of 2023, Lucas raised $1.54 million, bringing his 2023 total to a whopping $5.4 million raised for his campaign to defeat Josh Hawley. It’s the largest off-year haul for a U.S. Senate challenger in Missouri history.

“Lucas’ record-breaking fundraising illustrates a larger point — Josh Hawley is vulnerable and Lucas Kunce can beat him,” said Caleb Cavarretta, campaign manager. “Our historic fundraising. Our support from organized labor and working families. Our growing coalition with grassroots supporters from every single county in the state. People in Missouri are fired up because they know what we know — we can take this U.S. Senate seat back for real Missourians in 2024.”

Since launching on January 6, 2023, Kunce’s campaign has received more than 165,000 donations, with a $33 average contribution and more than 98% of donations under $200 — all without a cent from corporate PACs. Kunce even had his strongest quarter yet, bringing in more than $1.54 million in the fourth quarter of 2023.

News of the historic haul follows a record-breaking year for Kunce in his race against Hawley:

Kunce earned the endorsement of the Missouri Fire Fighters, who previously endorsed Republicans for U.S. Senate in Missouri.

Kunce united the state’s election-winning labor movement behind his campaign (with the earliest endorsement ever by the Missouri AFL-CIO for a Senate challenger), despite being a regular target of attacks from Hawley’s allies in Washington.

Kunce has polled within the margin of error against Hawley in multiple surveys for the race.

Kunce has been recognized as one of the best opportunities to flip a U.S. Senate seat in 2024 by journalists, election watchers, and even Donald Trump.

Leading organizations like the League of Conservation Voters, End Citizens United, and Social Security Works PAC are backing Kunce’s efforts to take this U.S. Senate seat back for everyday Missourians.

And the news follows a disastrous year for Josh Hawley and his reelection chances:

Josh Hawley has the lowest approval of any Senate Republican on the ballot in 2024, with worse approval than even Ted Cruz in Texas and Rick Scott in Florida. With Missouri’s smaller electorate and cheaper media markets, it shows Missouri is the most affordable opportunity to flip a seat in 2024.

Hawley, a major leader in the extremist crusade to overturn Roe and outlaw abortion without exception in Missouri, has been exposed for using his official office and power as U.S. Senator to push his wife’s legal efforts to outlaw abortion medication nationwide. He’ll now likely even have to put his record on the ballot alongside a constitutional amendment for abortion rights in 2024.

Hawley has been criticized by Missouri workers for cynically using them as campaign props while he sells out Missouri workers when it counts.

Hawley’s “Manhood” book was released and immediately dunked on by all unfortunate enough to read it.

High-profile, born-and-raised Missourians like Jon Hamm have helped Lucas Kunce shine a light on the race and expose Hawley as the fraud and coward he is.

Heading into 2024, Lucas Kunce has built a record-breaking, worker-led, and people-powered coalition to defeat Josh Hawley and take this U.S. Senate seat back for working families.

Here’s how former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander — who’s won statewide and nearly defeated GOP incumbent Roy Blunt while overperforming the Democratic national ticket by double-digits — summed up the race:

“Lucas Kunce can defeat Josh Hawley. With Joe Manchin’s retirement taking West Virginia’s Senate race off the board, Missouri is the perfect candidate to replace it. And for anyone who cares about democracy, reproductive freedom, health care access and working families, this race should be a priority… Just like voters in states where we’ve seen big wins for Democrats and pro-freedom initiatives in the past year, hundreds of thousands of voters in Missouri are still splitting their tickets… Just as we saw in elections across the country — both this year and in the last decade — pundits and presidential politics won’t be deciding the result of every race in 2024. Voters will be.”